Safety concern over breast cancer services at Mid-Staffs: report

A review of breast cancer surgery at the scandal-hit Mid Staffordshire
hospital has uncovered 'serious safety concerns' three years after the trust
was accused of appalling failures that contributed to the deaths of hundreds
of patients.

Stafford Hospital, which is part of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation TrustPhoto: ALAMY

Managers at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust reported to inspectors that the hospital was compliant with 94 per cent of standards, but when the hospital was peer reviewed it was found that it was only compliant one in ten standards.

The hospital trust has been under intense scrutiny since regulators found hundreds of patients died amid appalling standards of care including being left in their own excrement and drinking from flower vases.

The review of breast cancer services at the trust concluded that the team was 'deeply dysfunctional', Health Service Journal reported.

The team also noted 'open hostility' between clinicians and the trust management, which it said was 'incompatible with an open safety culture'.

It added: “The review team is seriously concerned about the effect on patient management and safety… and continues not to be assured of the quality and safety of the service.”